Richard Mille Princesses Rally: a breakdown and it's back on track!

We're really starting to enjoy ourselves. Something has clicked with Lucie in the car—not necessarily during the regularity sections, because those are still just as difficult to pull off. We understand the principle, but executing it properly is another story. What's changed is everything else. On the liaison sections, we have fun, we enjoy ourselves, we breathe. Lucie is getting more and more pleasure from driving, and I take pleasure in playing music for her and telling her the stories of the castles and places we pass through, as indicated in the roadbook. It's become our ritual, just the two of us.

Our morning coffee break took place at the Château de la Roche—a listed monument that impresses not so much by its size as by its location: it stands right in the middle of the Loire River. The kind of place nestled in nature, like something out of a movie. We took the time to refresh ourselves, have a little snack, catch our breath, and admire this splendid setting—and then we were off again. That's part of the rhythm of this... rally The stops were magnificent, but short, because it's still a race. Lunch was at the Château de Corcelles, for a slightly longer break mid-day. And then we resumed our journey, calm and peaceful, to the pass.

Arrival at the Col du Grand Colombier

Everything was going well. We had just finished our last regularity zone and were about to tackle the Grand Colombier pass. Just a few kilometers in, and the car stalled. It was impossible to restart uphill, because we also suddenly lost the accelerator.
It was our first real mechanical problem. Stopped, on a downhill slope, not exactly the best place to break down, we looked for solutions, tried things, consulted each other — but without any certainty about what was really going on under the hood of a Porsche 356 of 1964. Once Team Europe's assistance arrived on site to help us and fix the problem, we were able to leave.

@autohebdo.mag 🚗Arrival in Beaujolais for our crew at the Rallye des Princesses! #princessrally #richardmille #porsche ♬ original sound – AUTOhebdo

Then, we didn't dare stop for fear the car wouldn't start again. We sped down the rest of the pass without pausing for breath—even though the scenery was undoubtedly magnificent. We saw it flash by very briefly, too quickly, because we wanted to lose as little time as possible. We finally arrived at the last checkpoint more than an hour late.

Once we arrived at the parc fermé in Aix-les-Bains, we were finally able to enjoy—a little—the view of Lake Bourget, right next door. Moments like that, after a day like this, really put things into perspective. Tonight, the mechanics will be checking the car to make sure we can start tomorrow without any problems. Next stop: the South of France, with Nîmes as our next stop. And as promised, we'll tell you all about it. See you tomorrow…

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